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Minimum specs needed for an iPhone development machine?

J

jahc

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 25, 2009
5
0
I want to make some fun little apps for myself. Just for fun. :) I'm thinking it'd be cool to get a cheap G4 PPC system from somewhere, because I see plenty of them around. But I dont know what I need to compile and test iPhone apps. I read the SDK requirements, Snow Leopard, but will an eMac 1ghz g4 with 512mb ram cut it? I'm worried the device emulation will be nowhere near the right speed. I know you're supposed to test on the device itself later, but in the initial period....

Ideally I'd get a Mac Mini Intel, but I dont have that sort of money to throw around. (My iPhone is still on "interest free" hire purchase!).

What can I get away with? I'm hoping 1.25ghz G4 and 1gb ram would do the job. I'm hoping to do some cool audio stuff, so it would need to be reasonably smooth?
 
jahc said:
Thanks for the tips guys. So a Mac Mini would be handy for me.. plenty of those second hand around. What specs do I need to test at (near) full speed in the simulator? Long compile times do not worry me. :)
Click to expand...

Should be just about any Mini. Just be sure to get an Intel Mini (2nd generation or later).
 
Eddyisgreat said:
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/apply.html

From Apple:


A hackintosh will work too. Your G4 won't work.
Click to expand...

Um, let's keep things legal. Never mind what isn't postulated about the illegal ware:

1. Those who hack OS X might just be putting in spyware or malware of their own.
2. Hardware compatibility is another issue. Those distros only work on select hardware configurations (desktop or laptop).
3. When Apple updates its OS, Hackintosh will break.
4. Semi-related to point 2, reliability is a concern. And if there is a kernel panic, the lameoid user of Hackintosh will undoubtedly blame Apple for it all. (*sigh*)
5. It's against the EULA.
6. Mac hardware itself is usually made with high quality components. The Mac Pro's construction blew me away with its simple yet solid nature. Even installing hard drives or peripheral cards... NO CABLES to get in the way. Really brilliant design work...
7. Apple survives by selling their branded hardware. People stealing OS X will then wonder why Apple goes out of business.

6.5, because I hate going in chronological order. I won't deny that maybe Apple can lower its prices as need be to follow suit if or when Intel drops prices (inventory of higher end models can't be high as they even solder the CPUs to the system board (which also helps improve reliability, I took electronics class in the mid-80s)), but that's a minor point. Apple has everything custom-made when possible. And I've worked with Dells and other generic PC pish-posh. Apple's IS quality material.

Yes, generic PCs have some of the same hardware. If they really were the same, Hackintosh wouldn't exist.
 
thermodynamic said:
<drivel>
Click to expand...

If you really want to argue the merits of a hackintosh and how it may or may not harm Apple's bottom line, troll one of the other hundreds of threads, although i'm sure you've already made your rounds. Don't spew your nonsense here.

Anyway OP, a hackintosh will work fine for development purposes, though your Macbook will be a good choice. I'd up to a Macbook Pro so you can have more display options in the future (mini-dvi vs displayport on the MBP)

Lets try to stay on topic.
 
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